Wisteria floribunda
Japanese Wisteria
Berkeley, CA
March, 2012

• This Wisteria grows over the facade of an historic Maybeck house.  It is well known and frequently visited by tour groups so making it look good right away was highly important
• Many vines had grown up and into the architectural beams, creating a chaotic mess  and housing several pigeons who left droppings on the house and plants
• Some of the tangles were reached by using an extension ladder against the house.  Other, higher tangles were dealt with by using a pole pruner out of the top story window
• The majority of the flowering buds were structured to cascade down over the front door, bringing a dramatic end to the left to right movement of the vine
• due to years of overgrowth and shading, not much was available to leave in the way of branches and flowers in the middle, so this is what is hoped to be developed in coming years
• The client contacted me after seeing a newly published book on Bernard Maybeck's architecture.  She said looking at the photography made her notice the Wisteria was getting out of hand